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5. Charging too Little for Design Projects
6. Not Using Contracts to Cover Your Butt
7. Not Setting Deadlines for Projects
8. Doing Spec Based Work (If you like it you can pay)
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… it’s all good stuff.
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Technorati Tags: bad habits, contracts, design, Graphic Designers, WILDhairs
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Unfortunately the art biz is all about the bottom dollar and Artists compete for limited resources in a budget of a buyer or client.
It would be nice if all would stick to a set price and contracts but that would take aa Artistic Union of some sort.
Artists are the ultimate scabs and backstabbers.
Well, a union would only work inside each country. Thirty years or so ago.
These days, designers are competing on an international scale.
For instance, I’m a western designer in SE Asia. My overhead is a great deal lower than designers working in the UK or the US.
Scab or backstabber? No.
My bids would not be considered cut throat from where I live. But those in the west couldn’t cover their monthly expenses with the same.
And I wonder whether setting a price wouldn’t constitute some kind of antitrust violation, at least here in the U.S.
(Cat, a long time ago you asked me about any interest I might have in blogging about what it takes to get into book design. I was very busy at the time and, also, just not interested enough. Well, I’ve started a series on my own blog—only the first entry is up—about how I came to book design and layout, what I do to find work, pricing; and I plan to “talk thru” an actual project or two.
IMHO, the price-spread for graphic design is so wide that customers are struggling to see the difference.
I got offers for a company-logo which vary from € 200 up to € 2500 – same with homepages but higher prices…
Cheers -
Stephen,
Great stuff! I’ll be following along as you go (then feature it here)
Tobey,
I agree, the different prices are wide apart. But, it’s the same in other fields. Beginners to more experienced are going to charge differently. Then of course, the popular professionals are in a class all their own. Toss in different countries and it get even more complicated.
Think about what clients are paying for! Your expertise, skills, experience and creativity. How can you put a price on that.
Clients who buy on cost alone will be short changed.
Clients who buy design services from cheaper designers based overseas will never enjoy the creative fruits of a personal relationship built up over an enjoyable pint in the local pub.
At GD Graphics we foster efficient and effective communication between our clients and ourselves in order to produce the most effective creative solutions imaginable. We are responsive, polite, professional, and give far more than we are paid for.
Thats what clients pay for.
<< Clients who buy design services from cheaper designers based overseas
Do you mean designers like me? :-D
Truthfully, I found dealing with clients via email and skype much more conducive to running a business on both sides.
In person meetings can take way too much time away from designing.
Clients save time. We save time.
We gain more time to devote to the project.
A win win for both.